Boat cover



Feb. 20, 1951 A. SKJEVELAND 2,542,586

BOAT COVER Filed Dec. 31, 1947 I ll INVE 'NTOR. Y Arno/cl Sly'e ve land Ghekukfiulu,

' ,yrrole/vp s Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOAT COVER Arnold Skjeveland, Stewart Manor, N. Y.

Application December 31, 1947, Serial No. 794,866

1 Claim. (01. 135-6) This invention relates to improvements in covers for boats and more particularly to improvements in covers for boats in storage.

Protection for the hulls of pleasure and other boats in out of season storage frequently becomes a major problem.

It is an object of this invention to provide an effective cover which may be quickly erected.

A further object is to provide a cover requiring but slight auxiliary equipment attached directly to the boat.

Still another object is to provide a cover that is readily stored in a small space when not required.

It is also an object of this invention to so form the cover that the ultimate cost is substantially low.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of these objectives, the cover is made of any suitable water resistant or water repellant flexible material supported by a longitudinal stay inserted in the apexes of collapsible supports transversely mounted along the deck of the boat. The collapsible supports comprise angular members hinged at the apex in such a way that when the members are extended there is a substantial aperture at the apex utilized for the support of the stay. At the base of each collapsible support is a horizontal brace hinged in the center and to the angular members which prevents any movement of the members of the support beyond that required at the intended point of erection on the ships deck. Constructed in the manner shown, the collapsible supports not only provide adequate support for the cover but take little storage space when not in use.

The invention will appear more clearly when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the collapsible supports erected transversely on the boat with the cover removed and constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the cover inserted over the supports.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the fore end of the boat provided with a turnbuckle for tightening the stay, and enlarged.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the aft end of the boat provided with a hook and eye to secure the opposite end of the stay, also enlarged.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the collapsible support.

Figurefi is a fragmentary view of the collapsible support showing the manner of attaching the hinged joints at the apexes, likewise enlarged.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numeral Ill indicates the boat, I I the flexible cover, I2 the collapsible supports, and I3 the stay.

The collapsible Supports I2 (Fig. 1) are formed of the angular members I4 and the horizontal braces I5. The members I4 are connected at the apex by the hinge I8 attachedon the inside of the members. With the hinge I8 attached as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the aperture I9 is formed between the hinged ends of the members I4 in other than a straight angle position. The horizontal brace I5 of the support I2 may be folded and is hingedly attached to the members I4 as shown in Figure 5. Here, it will be noted, that as the angular members Mare pushed apart, brace parts 20 and 2| of the brace I5 tend to approach the limit of a straight angle.

With the hinges 22, 23, and 24 attached as shown, the brace parts Zil and 2| are locked from moving together in the straight angle position because of the abbuting ends 24 and 25 of the parts 20' and 2|, respectively, thereby providing a substantial support for the stay I3 as subsequently shown as well as a means for collapsing into a small unit when not in use.

In the erected position (Fig. 1), each collapsible support I2 has a base width substantially equal to the width of the boat at the point of erection and the ends of the angular members I4 are out at the proper angle for erection along the deck of the boat at the sides. Obviously, where boats are made in standard sizes, the supports I2 may be also in standard size. Moreover, the number of supports I2 required may vary from boat to boat.

Through the apertures I 9 (Figs. 5 and 6), at the top of the angular members I4, the stay I3 is passed for longitudinal attachment at the fore and aft end of the boat I0. At the aft end, the hook 2B is attached to the end of the stay I3 to co-act with the eye 21 attached to the stern as shown in Figure 4. At the fore end, the eye 28 (Fig. 3) is attached at the bow to co-act with the turnbuckle 29 attached to the fore end of the stay I3-. By tightening the turnbuckle 29, the stay I3 is drawn taut over the top apertures I9 of the supports I2 thoroughly securing the supports I2 to the top surface portion of the deck of the'boat I0.

3 stantially above the free ends of the members it which enables the support i2 to be inserted directly over the perpendicular member or gunwale 39 (Fig. 1) around the well 3| of the boat 19.

It is apparent that the specific illustration shown above has been given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, and that the structures above described are subject to wide variation and modification without departing from the scope or intent of the invention, all of which variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

A boat cover comprising at least one collapsible support, the support comprising two angular members hingedly connected at one end, a collapsible brace hingedly disposed between the angular members intermediate the ends thereof, the brace comprising two hingedly connected members collapsible in the direction of the hinged ends REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Von Tell Nov. 16, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia Nov. 6, 1941 Number Number 

